WilsonDailyPrep - Online SAT Prep That's Personal

Have you ever seen a model strut down the catwalk in a plain white tee shirt and comfy jeans? I didn’t think so. Boring outfits simply aren’t worth watching.

Essay writing may not require long legs and lots of makeup, but it does benefit from the same cutting-edge “wow factor”. And the best way to make your essay runway-worthy is to give it some flair that says to the bleary-eyed reader, “Hey, this is going to be a good one.”

Not sure how to stand out? Try starting your essay with a one-word sentence taken from the theme of the assignment. For example, if the essay asks, “Do actions define a hero?” begin with “Hero.” Or, open your essay with a repetitive sentence: “A hero is x, a hero is y, but most importantly a hero is z.” Another good tactic is to begin with a thought-provoking question: “What is a hero?”

Standardized tests are taken by over a million students per year, and essay graders read hundreds of essays. Your essay needs to shine – so strut your stuff and begin with a stylistic bang!

This week many students are moaning about the upcoming PSAT’s. For those confused about what this test is, the Preliminary SAT (PSAT) is a test designed to help students practice for the SAT. It is also used to determine eligibility for scholarships awarded by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Please check out my October 4^th 2009 blog post The Predictive Value of the PSAT to learn more about this exam. But to recap, the test is:

• 2 hours long
• Contains 3 sections – critical reading, math, grammar (called writing on the test, but the section just focuses on grammar)
• Scores not reported to colleges
• Used to award National Merit Scholarships – but only 3% of all students taking are eligible because one must score approximately a 2100 or higher!
• Registration is usually through the schools
• Thought to be a predictive indicator of future SAT scores (see my former blog post about this)

So if the scores are not sent to colleges and you are not one of the 3% eligible for a scholarship, then why take the PSAT? What is the purpose of this exam?  Well, there are a five main reasons:

1. It’s good to sit through a standardized test and experience what many students consider torture.   Think of it as building up your tolerance!

2. Use the test to recognize if you need to bring more water or candy, if you need to sleep more the night before, and if you need to take Tylenol to get through the test!

3. Assess whether you have a timing issue, meaning you can’t finish each section in the allotted time.

4. See if you need to engage in a future test prep course.

5. Evaluate whether the SAT is even for you!   If you HATE the PSAT then think about the alternative exam – the ACT.

Many schools now offer this test to sophomores as well as to juniors.  Personally, I think 10^th grade is too soon to begin torturing students.  Students in sophomore year should still have an idyllic view of the world!  What many students consider torture (testing and test prep) should not begin until junior year!  Many sophomore students burn out if they begin prepping too early.  (Yes, beginning vocabulary study is never too early, but other than this – wait!)

So… begin sharpening those pencils and packing your goody bag.  Yet, please remember that the PSAT does NOT count for 97% percent of you and therefore you should not lose sleep over this exam.

SKIP, SKIP, SKIP TO MY LOU

A key to scoring to your potential is to know when to move on! If an answer doesn’t jump out at you and you begin to hear the imaginary “tick/tock” then you should do one of the following:

1. Pick an answer and put a note on your test booklet so that you remember to return to the question after you have answered all the other questions. You do this when you have invested time in the question. Meaning, you have spent 30 seconds (or more) analyzing the question. Narrow down the choices to three (usually two out of the five answer choices are ridiculous and can be eliminated immediately) and then make an educated guess. You do not want to completely skip the question because you have already invested time and brain cells!
2. Completely skip the question and come back to it later (once again putting a note on the test booklet to remind you). Skip when you see that the question is so difficult that you will not be able to make an educated guess without spending an enormous amount of time on the question. For example, if you glance at the last question on the sentence completion page and see that you do not know any of the vocabulary then don’t invest time – just skip!

Not investing time and simply skipping is a great strategy for the reading passages. Often, the answer to a skipped question will become clear as you answer other questions. Go back and answer skipped questions after you have finished the other questions in the passage or you have finished the section. For example, reading questions that require you to look at line passages for every answer choice given should be skipped and answered at the end of the reading. Same goes for “All of the following… EXCEPT” questions. These are time intensive questions that will take less time if all other questions are answered first.

Frustration and anxiety arise when you come to a tough question you cannot answer. And, frustration and anxiety can destroy any test-taker. Therefore be SMART – make an educated guess or simply SKIP the question – and move on. As you take the test the brain develops a natural rhythm and what seemed impossible a few minutes ago might not be so impossible now. Nobody is watching you take the test- answer the questions in the order you want to answer them! Don’t get caught up on a single question. Come back to it!

Did you know that the Skip to My Lou song is really a dance? That is the goal for taking this test; dance your way through the test with confidence and a sure foot . So, skip to my Lou, my darling!

Weekly Word

Trite (adj): Cliché; lacking originality or freshness.

Trite Terry never had an original thought or idea. He always just repeated whatever cliché fit into the situation.

Promiscuous Pronouns…

The “pronoun” was a 4th grade vocabulary lesson that you never thought you would need to worry about…until now. He, she, it, you, us, they, them, etc. – these are pronouns. Pronouns are the number one mistake on the SAT and are also a real problem on the ACT. Since pronouns are in all the wrong places with the wrong words, I always tell students to think of pronouns as promiscuous.

Promiscuous means characterized by or involving indiscriminate mingling or association.

A pronoun must take the place of one, and only one, specific noun! If a pronoun is going with all sorts of nouns, it is a promiscuous pronoun, and this is a very bad thing. If you can’t tell what noun the pronoun is taking the place of- another bad thing. And finally, if the pronoun des not agree with the noun- yet another bad thing!

So, since being promiscuous is not a good thing, pronouns, too, are not a good thing on these exams. Therefore, always check pronouns twice in the grammar section and make sure they are correct! (Always make sure to especially double check “it”. “It” is the most promiscuous pronoun on both tests!)

Want some practice? Try this exercise:

Choose the best way to phrase the underlined portion of the sentence. If the original version is the best phrasing, choose choice A.

Laurie, Jimmy, and Tom were running home from school yesterday when he tripped and fell.

a) when he tripped and fell.
b) where it was Tom who tripped and fell.
c) when it was him who tripped and fell.
d) when Tom tripped and fell.

Answer: D. In the original sentence, who is “he” referring to? We don’t know, so “he” is promiscuous! Fix it by replacing “he” with “Tom”. Now the sentence is clear.